black-footed ferret

noun

: a rare weasel (Mustela nigripes) of western North American prairies having a yellowish coat, dark feet and facial mask, and a dark-tipped tail

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web And in late 2020, American scientists successfully cloned an endangered wild black-footed ferret, once thought to be globally extinct.

Jessie Yeung, CNN, 20 Sep. 2022 The cryobank has provided genetic material to revive rare species like Przewalski’s horse and the black-footed ferret through cloning.

Ashley Strickland, CNN, 2 Apr. 2022 Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed that a black-footed ferret was found in a residential garage in Pueblo.

Fox News, 31 Dec. 2021 Phoenix: The Phoenix Zoo is asking the public to help name one of its black-footed ferret litters.

From Usa Today Network And Wire Reports, USA TODAY, 5 Aug. 2021 Animals like the black-footed ferret and California condor are represented, but so are groups often left out of such analyses: species of bees, butterflies, fish, mussels, crayfish and flowering plants.

New York Times, 3 Mar. 2022 Once widespread throughout the Great Plains in the US, the black-footed ferret was thought to be extinct until a ranch dog helped scientists discover an 18-strong colony in Wyoming in 1981.

Matt Reynolds, Wired, 9 Feb. 2022 Colorado Parks and Wildlife confirmed that a black-footed ferret was found in a residential garage in Pueblo.

Fox News, 31 Dec. 2021 In 2020, scientists cloned a black-footed ferret for the first time.

Matt Reynolds, Wired, 9 Feb. 2022 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'black-footed ferret.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Word History

First Known Use

1846, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of black-footed ferret was in 1846

See more words from the same year

Dictionary Entries Near black-footed ferret

black-footed cat

black-footed ferret

Black Forest

See More Nearby Entries

Cite this Entry

Style

“Black-footed ferret.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/black-footed%20ferret. Accessed 7 Dec. 2022.

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